Kenya has launched its first-ever Certified Dance curriculum on February 27.
The dance curriculum is a celebration of Africa’s heritage and a declaration of unity.
“There are multiple challenges in the dance industry, a huge one, being the lack of regulation. If you decide that you are a dancer, there is nothing to say you aren’t,” Afuzion founder Chiki Kuruka said.
"Dance remains a huge pillar of culture, but our current instructors may not know the particulars of history and context. Our dance instructors teaching our children or training in the gyms may also not know the broader issues of anatomy and health and safety."
The curriculum was developed in collaboration with NITA, which will specialise in four dance genres West African Street, Kenyan Street, Amapiano and traditional dances.
The Curriculum is tailored to the audience needs from children to youth groups, corporate groups and other specialty groups.
“It is holistic and focuses on the culture and context of the dance, making it rich in the background history of the dance. The instructors will take exams through 4 levels of practical and theory instructions to ensure they have mastered the concepts,” she added.
According to Kuruka, other African countries have managed to document and export their dance styles but Kenya is still lagging behind its peers.
“Whilst some African countries have managed to document and export their dance styles, documenting our Kenyan dance styles has lagged behind,” Kuruka said.
The curriculum will elevate the quality of dance instructors in Africa.
“This will be the game changer, giving African dance its proper place in the creative economy,” she explained.
